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Black Butterfly by Donal Mahoney

[tab id=1]There never was
anyone like Ali
between the ropes
or facing the public.

In the ring and out
we saw a man
float like a butterfly,
sting like a bee.

He was to boxing
what Astaire
was to dancing,
what Sinatra was
to singing.
A nonpareil.

But no one stopped
Fred from dancing
or Frank from singing
because of a war
Ali and many
never understood[/tab]
[tab id=2]Donal Mahoney lives in St. Louis, Missouri. His work has appeared in various publications, including Guwahatian Magazine (India), The Galway Review (Ireland), Public Republic (Bulgaria), The Istanbul Literary Review (Turkey) and other magazines in the United States.[/tab]